“So you went to the cemetery,” Jacob guessed, although he still had no idea how she’d gotten so dirty there.

   He felt her nod against his chest before she replied, “I did. I was so rattled that I couldn’t think of anything else but getting there and apologizing.” She paused before adding, “I’m sure you think that sounds strange since Brett is dead, but . . .”

   Pulling her closer, Jacob said sincerely, “There isn’t a right or a wrong way to grieve, sweetheart. He was the man who shared your life with you for so long. Of course, it would be upsetting to realize you’d forgotten something that you normally wouldn’t have. But that doesn’t mean you forget how much he meant to you. You’re human, Lydia, like the rest of us. And you’ve had a lot of changes in your life recently. Don’t beat yourself up that something got past you.”

   The room was silent for a while as she appeared to mull over his words. Either that or she’d fallen asleep. “I was hurt and jealous when I came home and saw you and Chris looking so cozy. I wasn’t in a good place after visiting Brett’s grave, and I guess I was expecting comfort and concern from you. When I found you laughing instead, seemingly without a care in the world, I ran. Which seems terribly childish right now, but at the time made perfect sense to me.”

   Jacob shifted her in his arms until they were face-to-face then he laid his lips upon hers. He kissed her slow and deep, taking languid sips of the sweet nectar of her distinctive taste until he felt his cock begin to take an interest in what was going on. Down, boy. This was about giving comfort, not sex. She’d had an emotionally devastating evening, and he wanted to hopefully show her through actions how much he’d come to care about her. Of course, his dick was more than willing to express its keen fondness as well, but he pushed his own urges aside to continue worshipping her soft lips. Finally, he pulled back to lay his forehead against hers. Both of them were breathing as if they’d just run a race, and he knew if he didn’t stop now, he’d be inside her in another minute. “I’m sorry I lost track of time, sweetheart. But it certainly had nothing to do with anything romantic between Chris and me. This may make me sound like a jerk, but I couldn’t even tell you where she was standing in relation to me any of the time that she was there. Casey had my complete attention. The only thing I did notice was that Chris was less disagreeable this time than she normally is. That’s it—period. I was fixated on Casey’s enthusiasm about her new gymnastics class, and I didn’t realize how late it had gotten until they left. As soon as it occurred to me, I was worried and I began looking for you. When you check your phone again, you’ll find missed calls and messages from me as well as Crystal. I called her when I couldn’t locate you.”

   “Really—you did?” Lydia asked, sounding so relieved that he felt like an even bigger asshole. She’d lost her fiancé to cancer three years earlier and hadn’t been involved with a man since then. Of course she would be uncertain in a new relationship in ideal circumstances. But considering how they’d ended up getting married, was it any wonder that she’d been so unsure of the fact he’d be concerned for her?

   “Lydia, of course I immediately began hunting for you. And as far as the wife rental comment, I hope you don’t really feel that way. I thought we decided earlier today that we were both ready to be a couple in the real sense of the word. Not that I’m saying that we haven’t since we got married, but I’m committed to moving forward. I know that dealing with Chris is a lot to ask, and as Casey’s mother, she isn’t going away. Can you handle that?”

   “Jake, of course,” she answered without hesitation. “I know my actions earlier might lead you to believe otherwise, but I hope you’ll understand that they really had very little to do with Chris and more to do with my being upset over Brett.”

   Rubbing her back soothingly, he said, “I understand. Just please don’t do that again. If you need space, let me know you’re coming here. And I promise I’ll be more considerate in the future and more aware of what’s going on around me. It’s been so long since I’ve been involved with someone that I’ve possibly forgotten how to be that man.”

   Shocking him since she usually let him make the first move, Lydia dropped her hand and cupped his cock. He was still at half-mast from their kiss, and after only an embarrassingly few strokes, he was hard as steel. “I think you have a lot of potential to be just the man I need,” she purred as she continued to stroke him through the boxer briefs he’d left on.

   “Honey, I am trying to be nice tonight and let you get some rest after your rough evening. But if you keep doing that, my good intentions are going to be shot to hell.”

   “I think your cock is just the cure that I need,” she murmured as her grip tightened.

   Fucking hell, I tried, he thought as he moved to his back. His plan was to swing her over his hips and have her ride him. But Lydia seemed to have other ideas. She pushed his hands away and tugged his briefs down, releasing his heavy cock. She encircled his girth with one hand and began lightly, almost teasingly, pumping him. “Suck me, baby,” he grunted out as his hips moved restlessly against her hold.

   Clicking her tongue, she said, “All in good time, Jake.” Then the minx proceeded to drive him halfway out of his mind with darting licks to his length while she massaged his balls. Just as he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, she engulfed him in her mouth, letting him slide down the back of her throat. God in heaven, did she have no gag reflex? Then she swallowed around him and he lost it. Normally, he’d always warn a woman before coming in her mouth, but there simply wasn’t time. He was shooting his load down her throat for what seemed like five fucking minutes. She eased him out some, probably so she could breathe again, but it had already been the best blowjob of his life. Apparently, she agreed because she hummed her approval while wrapping her lips tightly around the sensitive head of his cock. And sweet Christ, he shot another load into her mouth.

   “Lydia! Baby, please . . . you’re killing me!” he groaned, feeling light-headed by this point. He both wanted to leave his cock in her mouth forever and pull out before he passed out. Bliss, utter and complete, was what he felt. His wife—the woman who’d once told him she didn’t have experience with oral sex—was a goddamn prodigy. A skill such as hers wasn’t something you learned; she was born to suck cock—his cock. When she sat up beside him and licked her lips, he wondered if this was the one moment he’d remember forever. Had he really just fallen in love with his wife over a phenomenal blowjob? They said you know when it happens and he was half afraid this would be the story he’d never be able to relay to their kids. But he’d damn sure think about it again and again as a defining moment in their relationship.